Device for opening and closing gates.



No. 860,875. J PATENTED JULY 23 1907. D. A. LEE.

DEVIGE'FOR OPENING AND GLOSING GATES.

APPLICATION FILED APB.22,1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 1X messes AM M Q c N ,Q 4 6%. 2??? PATENTED JULY 23,1907.

1). A. LEE.

DEVICE FOR OPENING- AND CLOSING GATES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.22, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses "as NORRIS PETERS DAVID A. LEE, OF ALBERTA, LOUISIANA.

DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING GATES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1907.

Application filed April 22,1907. Serial No. 869,512.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID A. LEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alberta, in' the parish of Bienville and State of Louisiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Openingand Closing Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is a device for opening and closing gates, and consists inuprights erected on each side of the road and each side of the gate,supporting crossbeams, an endless cable passing over pulleys secured insaid cross-beams, cords attached to said endless cable, and chain andhand-holds secured to said cable; said cable to be operated and therebyopen and close the gate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a perspective view of myinvention. Fig. 2, is a top plan view. Fig. 3, is a view of the gate andits attachments. Fig. 4, is a perspective view of a bearing, carrying apulley. Fig. 5, is a detail view, showing part of the gate, and a coilspring that operates the latch. Fig. 6, is a detail view, showing partof the latch-post and the latch-keeper.

My invention is described as follows :The numeral 1, represents the fourroad-posts, two on each side of the road and each side of the gate;these posts are some distance from the gate, say from 50 to (30 feet,for the purpose of giving room for the cable to be properly operated. Onthe top of these road-posts are cross-beams 2. Secured to the innerfaces of these cross-beams are pulleys 3, and working around thesepulleys from cross, beam to cross-beam is an endless cable 4, andsecured in these cross-beams and extending forward are supports 5. Abouthalf way between said posts 1, is located a gate frame, consisting ofthe hinge-post 6, latchpost 7, and top beam 8, and hinged to thehinge-post is a gate 9. Secured to the latch-post 7, is a latch keeper10. Secured to one of the upright slats and to the outer face of thegate, is hinged a latch 11, and secured to the upper horizontal rail 12,and to the outer side of the gate, is a spool-bearer 13, in which isjournaled a spool 14 the plate of said spool-bearer is provided with aperforated flange 15, that stands at right angles to said plate, theperforation being immediately under the spool. Secured to one of theupright slats of the gate is a spring 16, which rests on the upper edgeof the latch and holds it down, but instead of using the spring 16, asshown in Fig. 3, I may use a coil spring 17, securing the upper endthereof to the latch, and the lower end to the lower horizontal beam ofthe gate. Secured on one side of the gate to the latch is one end of acord 18, the other end being secured to the endless cable; this cordpasses up through the perforation in the flange 15, thence under theroller 14, thence to the endless cable. Another cord 19, has one endsecured to the other side of the gate, and its other end to the endlesscable. Suspended from the near part of the cable a, is a hand-hold 20,and suspended from the fur ther part a, of the cable is anotherhand-hold 21.

The purpose of this gate is to enable persons on horseback or invehicles of any kind, or the drivers of wagons, to open and close thegate without dismounting.

The operation of my invention is evident, but a brief description of itsoperation may not be out of place:- We will suppose this gate to be atthe entrance of a field, or the driveway of a residence, and that therider is approaching the outside of the gate, in the direction of thearrow 22; he takes hold of the hand-hold 20, and pulls it along with himas he approaches the gate, and this pulls the far part of the cable uoutwardly, operates the cord 18, raises the latch and opens the gate.This operation brings the hand-hold 21, near the gate frame, and soon asthe rider passes through the gate he takes hold of said hand-hold 21,and carries it along with him; this has the effect of drawing the cord19, in that direction and closing the gate. Now, we will suppose therider is approaching the gate from the inside of the field, in thedirection of the arrow; he takes hold of the hand-hold 21, and thisoperates the part a, of the cable, the cord 18, and opens the gate, andafter he passes through the open gate he takes hold of the hand-hold 20,and carries it along with him; this has the effect of operating the cord19, and closing the gate. Thus it will be seen that the rider can makeno mistake. All he has to do is to take hold of one of the hand-holdsand pull it with him in the direction he is going.

The purpose of the supports 5 is to keep the endless cable 4, fromsagging and running off of the pulleys 3, but by drawing the cable quitetight, and making the grooves in the pulleys quite deep, I may dispensewith the supports.

The purpose of the perforated flange 15, which extends froin the lowerend of the spoolbearer 13, is to hold the cord 18, in the groove of thespool, but I may dispense with said perforated flange by making thegroove of the spool quite deep, and for ordinary purposes, where thelatch 11, of the gate is quite heavy, I can even dispense with eitherone of the springs 16 or 17, but for greater safety I prefer to use oneof the springs.

Although I have specifically described the combination, construction andarrangement of the several parts of my invention, I do not confinemyself particularly to such specific combination, construction andarrangement, as I claim the right to make such changes and modificationtherein as may clearly fall within the scope of my invention, and whichmay be resorted to without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing anyof my patentable rights therein.

The drawings, for the want of space, do not show the posts 1, as farapart as they may actually be set, in practice, and they are not as tallas they relatively may be made. The said posts 1, may be as tall as themanufacturer desires to make them, and the posts 6 and 7, may be equallyas tall, so that loaded wagons, and ye hicles with tops, may pass underthe cross-beams, in which case the hand-holds may belong enough to comedown Within reach.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the posts 1, situated on each side of the road andgate; hinge-posts G, and latchpost 7, situated, one on each side of theroad; crossheams 2, secured on the top of said posts 1, and top beam 8,secured on the top of posts 6 and '7; pulleys 3, secured to the innerfaces of said cross-beams; supports 5, secured to the inner faces ofsaid crossbeams; endless cable 4, working around said pulleys and oversaid supports; a gate 9, hinged to said hinge-post G; a latch-keeper 10,secured to latch-post 7; a latch 11, hinged to one of the upright slatsof said gate and adapted to catch in said latch-keeper; spool-bearer 13,secured to the upper horizontal beam 12, of the gate, and immediatelyover said latch; a perforated flange 15, extending at right angles fromthe plate of said spool-bearer; a spool 14, journaled in saidspool-bearer; a cord 18, hav ing one end secured to said latch on oneside of the gate, passing thence up through the perforation in theflange 15,

thence to the endless cable 4; a cord 19, one end secured to the otherside of the gate and the other to said cable 4; hand-holds 20 and 21,suspended from said cable, and a spring adapted to hold said latch down,substantially as shown and described and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the posts 1, situated, one on each side of theroad and gate; posts 6 and 7, situated, one on each side of the road;cross-beams 2, secured on the top of posts 1 pulleys 3, secured to theinner faces of said crossbeams; endless cable 4, working around saidpulleys; gate 9, hinged to said post (3; latch-keeper 10, secured topost 7; latch 11, hinged to said gate and adapted to catch in saidlatcltkeeper; a spool 14, journaled in bearings se cured to said gateimmediately over said latch; a cord, passing behind said spool andhaving one end secured to said latch on one side of the gate, and theother to said endless cable; a cord 19, one end secured to the otherside of the gate, and the other to said cable, said cable and cordadapted to open and close said gate, and hand-holds 20 and 21, suspendedfrom said cable, substantially as shown and described and for thepurposes set forth In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, inpresence of two witnesses.

DAVID A. LEE.

Witnesses B. F. ROBERTS, \V. J. MURPHY.

